Despite trying out many brands, Canary is still one of my favorite connected cams but its software keeps advancing at a very slow pace and competitors are starting to catch up. That's why I was happy today to see several new features coming to Canary... until I realized most of them require a Membership subscription. Why does everything good in tech these days require a monthly bill?

Alright, I'll stop crying over my empty wallet now and start explaining what the new features are. First, there's two-way Canary Talk which utilizes the mic and speakers on your Canary to allow you to talk to your pets or kids live. This feature has been promised for years now so it's good to finally see it working, though it requires a Membership plan. It should work today on regular Canary cams and in September on the wireless Flex model.

Second is the new web app, and you've guessed it: it requires the Membership plan too. This lets you livestream your Canary from your browser over on my.canary.is as well as view recorded videos of detected motion. It unshackles the Canary experience from Android/iOS so it's also a welcome addition.

And finally, Canary says it has improved the livestream's quality and reduced latency, an issue Artem has vocally complained about several times when noticing that Canary was always several seconds behind Nest in its stream. The updated livestream tech should be live today too, but I'm not sure if it's already effective or not. My upload speed is pretty crappy, so no WiFi cam has ever been good at livestreaming for me. Thankfully though, this enhancement will work for all Canary users, so you don't need to be a paid member to get it.

The Canary Android app has also received an update to reflect these changes. Here's the new changelog.

WHAT'S NEW

- Improved Watch Live: Latency has been reduced. Enjoy a virtually real-time view of your home from the Canary app.
- Two-way Canary Talk: Talk to anyone in your home from anywhere! Users with Canary Membership can watch live and speak through their Canary All-in-One like a walkie-talkie.
- Desktop Streaming: Users with Canary Membership can log into my.canary.is to Watch Live or view video events from a browser.
- As always, this update includes bug fixes and performance improvements.

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Canary, the NYC-based pioneer of smart home security, today unveiled several new features across its product lineup, including Canary Talk (two-way audio), a Web app update enabling desktop streaming and an optimized version of its Watch Live feature that delivers true, real-time viewing. Available to Canary and Canary Flex owners worldwide, these feature updates respond to the increasingly varied ways consumers are using Canary to stay protected and keep connected.

“Canary redefined how people interact with their environments and loved ones, and today’s upgrades are true to our mission of building products that get smarter and more sophisticated over time,” said Adam Sager CEO and cofounder of Canary. “By design, we’ve created a smart networked video platform that serves our users in ways that traditional security simply cannot.”

Canary is a daily habit for its users, who, on average, interact with the Canary app more than three times a day. From safeguarding the wellbeing of family members to monitoring Main Street businesses to checking in on pets, Canary not only uses deep learning to understand environmental activity but uniquely equips its users with tools to take action. Today’s updates come on top of popular features, such as one-touch access to first responders and remote siren activation on the Canary All-in-One, delivering an end-to-end security solution unlike anything else on the market.

Canary TalkCanary Talk further unites home and away, connecting remote users with their children, nanny, elderly parents and even pets, through real-time conversations. While traditionally called two-way audio, Canary Talk enables multiple remote users linked to a location to participate in real-time conversations, simultaneously. Starting today, Canary Talk will be available for Canary All-in-One devices, and in September, for Canary Flex.

Web App
Canary is also introducing desktop streaming today through a new Web app, making it even easier for its users to continually monitor their homes and businesses. The Web app adds to an already multi-platform experience, which includes iOS and Android smartphones, Apple TV and Apple Watch. All current and future users subscribed to Canary Membership will have access to the new Web app and Canary Talk.

New Watch Live
In addition to Canary Talk and the new Web app, Canary is releasing an optimized Watch Live experience, which enables near-instantaneous access to your home through your smartphone. This new upgraded experience mitigates the latency commonly attributed to devices across the IP camera category, allowing users to stream live video in virtual real-time. The new Watch Live experience will be available to all Canary users, and timed with the release of Canary Talk.

Canary Membership
Canary Talk and the desktop streaming are additions to an already feature-rich Canary Membership plan, which provides unlimited access to full videos that are stored for 30 days, unlimited downloads and shares and the added security of services such as an extended device warranty and dedicated incident support. Canary’s Membership plan, starting at just $9.99/month or $99/year, is designed to protect users prior to, during and following an incident, bringing the promise of security full-circle and extending the way users connect with home and their loved ones.

About CanaryCanary empowers people to live fearless lives, providing smart, actionable intelligence about the home and the people you love. We seamlessly integrate state-of-the-art hardware with sophisticated software to create simple, effective products that solve real problems and empower people to live fearless lives. By harnessing powerful computer vision and machine learning algorithms to interpret an extensive array of sensor data, we identify meaningful information about what happens at home—creating a richer and more immediate connection to the people and places that matter most. A daily habit for customers, who check into the app more than three times a day, Canary was fully distributed in 15 countries in just 15 months and is available in over 10,000 retail stores across North America and Europe. Smarter Technology. Superior Design. Real Security.